LAST - Canadian Killed in WWII - Lt. R.H. Gray - Nelson, BC - Last of its Kind on Waymarking.com

Born in Trail, BC in 1917 and raised in Nelson, Lt. Gray unfortunately became what is believed to be the last Canadian to die in World War II. This memorial to Lt. Gray is one of three that we are aware of in the city of Nelson. The others are in front of the post office, renamed the Gray Building in his honour, and by the pool in Gyro Park. Lt. Gray was killed the day the second atomic bomb fell, this one on on Nagasaki.

Below is a short recounting of Lt. Gray's story.

Lieutenant Robert Hampton
"Hammy" Gray

In the closing days of World War II, during a battle off the Japanese Island of Honshu, Lieutenant Hampton Gray became one of Canada's greatest war heroes.

Robert Hampton "Hammy" Gray was born November 2, 1917 in Trail, BC and later moved with his family to Nelson. In the summer of 1940 he enlisted in the Royal Canadian Navy Volunteer Reserve where he received flight training. He was promoted to Lieutenant in January 1943.

On August 9, 1945 Lt. Gray led an aerial attack against Japanese warships in Onagawa Bay. Flying his Corsair through intense fire, he was hit by anti-aircraft rounds yet maintained control of his damaged aircraft and succeeded in sinking the destroyer Amakusa before his plane went down in flames.

The event, which preceded by hours the Japanese surrender, concluded a naval career of dedication and courage. Lt. Hampton Gray was posthumously awarded the Distinguished Service Cross and the Victoria Cross for his leadership and valour.
Read the full story at CFB Esquimalt